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My new flower friend

I made an unlikely friend this week. His name is Donald, he is 75 and widowed. We met on a flower course. As a wedding planner dealing with flowers is kind of an occupational hazard for me and my clients always assume I have a strong knowledge of flowers. Well I do know! The course covered everything from the best time to plant Brindabella roses to the best types of soil enhancer. It was actually pretty great, I learnt about seasonality in flowers, when is best to plant what and even how to pair things together. I also made some great florist links that I can partner with when providing floral services to my clients. Donald is an extremely lovely guy, his wife sadly passed away 2 years ago and he said he’s been pretty lonely ever since. Hence his desire to take the course. His wife loved flowers and was always pottering around in the garden so he thought if he learnt a bit about it he could connect to what she loved and feel closer to her. When I told him I was a wedding planner he said he probably wouldn’t need my services professionally but he would love to be my friend. The course was great not only for the roses knowledge and training it provided but also as a meeting point for people that would otherwise rarely cross paths. Donald now comes round to my house every two weeks for a cup of tea, a game of scrabble and some flower chat. We compare bulbs and soil mixtures for hours! Last week he bought me the most sensational bunch of Iceberg roses that now sit proudly on my mantel. My kids adore him and have even started calling him Grandpa. It is in the most unlikely places that we find true friendships.